Comparison

Pulse Calendar vs CompactCalendar

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pulse Calendar

This app acts as a daily planner and time-blocking assistant, analyzing your schedule to help you optimize your day. It integrates with multiple calendar services and offers smart features like adaptive alerts, automatic time-blocking, and personalized insights to improve productivity and time management.

Highlights
  • Calendar integration (iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange, CalDAV)
  • Smart time-blocking and daily priority setting
  • AI-powered schedule optimization and suggestions
  • Habit tracking and productivity insights
  • Natural language event entry
  • Live Activity and widgets for quick access
  • Customizable themes and app icons
Features
Read full description

Pulse Calendar turns your schedule into a daily coach. Connect your calendars (iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange, CalDAV) in one place and let Pulse analyze your time to help you use it better. Local storage by default, no account. SMART CALENDAR • Day, 3-day, Week, Month, Year and List views • Multi-account: Apple, Google, Outlook, Exchange, CalDAV • Natural-language entry ("lunch with Marc tomorrow 1pm") • Drag to move or resize an event • Public holidays and school breaks: 10 countries, 149 regions • Real-time travel time + "time to leave" Live Activity • Weather on your agenda (WeatherKit) + moon phase PRIORITIES & FOCUS • 3 daily priorities with anti-procrastination coaching • Auto Time-Blocking: Pulse blocks priorities into your calendar • "Just get started" timer with a live count-up • "Just 5 minutes" mode for low-pressure starts PULSE BRAIN — 100% ON-DEVICE AI • Optimize your day in one tap (focus + recovery + transitions) • Ask Pulse: an assistant that knows your schedule, with no cloud • Personalized morning briefing TRACKING & INSIGHTS • Detects your habits and alerts you when a regular event is overdue • Time breakdown by category, heatmap, peak productivity hours • Evening review with a daily score and tips JOURNAL, AVAILABILITY & MORE • Private Journal (iCloud sync) and daily notes • Life Replay: revisit your year in a recap • Share your availability and let others book time (Doodle-style polls) WIDGETS, SIRI & LIVE ACTIVITY • Today, Month and Day Battery widgets; next 3 meetings on the lock screen • Dynamic Island countdown before a meeting; 8 Siri commands THEMES • 50+ themes including Onyx, Aurora, USA, Miami, Crépuscule, Neon Gold, Lavender… • Live preview, automatic light/dark mode, customizable app icon ON ALL YOUR DEVICES iPhone, iPad and Mac. One purchase, synced everywhere. AVAILABLE IN 14 LANGUAGES English · Français · Español · Deutsch · Italiano · Português · Русский · 日本語 · 简体中文 · 한국어 · العربية · Türkçe · Tiếng Việt · Ελληνικά PRIVACY Local storage by default. No ad tracking. Shared calendars and Doodle polls (optional) use a secure anonymous server. PULSE PREMIUM • Unlimited Pulse Brain and Ask Pulse (free: 3 optimizations/day) • All premium themes, advanced insights, exclusive widgets Pulse Monthly: $3.99/mo · Pulse Yearly: $24.99/yr (save 48%) · Pulse Lifetime: $39.99 (one-time) 7-day free trial on subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple account at the end of the trial; the subscription renews automatically unless turned off at least 24h before the end of the period. Manage it in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms: https://pulsecalendar.app/terms Privacy: https://pulsecalendar.app/privacy

About

CompactCalendar

Display your calendar events and reminders directly on your Home Screen and Lock Screen with customizable widgets. See your schedule at a glance, choose which calendars to display, and enjoy true calendar colors.

Highlights
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Lock Screen widgets
  • Events and reminders together
  • Calendar selection
  • True calendar colors
  • Tap to open Calendar app
Features
Read full description

See your calendar and reminders right from the Home Screen and Lock Screen! CompactCalendar shows your events and reminders in clean, beautiful widgets — for both the Home Screen and the Lock Screen. Home Screen widgets: • Today & This Month: A month calendar with today’s events • Daily Schedule: Your events for the next 6 days at a glance Lock Screen widgets: • Up Next: Your next or ongoing event on one Lock Screen line • Next 3 Days: Upcoming events for the next three days • 2-Week Calendar: A compact two-week mini calendar More features: • Events & Reminders Together: See calendar events and reminders in one widget • Calendar Selection: Choose which calendars each widget shows • True Colors: Your calendar colors appear exactly as you set them • Tap to Open: Tap a date to jump straight into the Calendar app CompactCalendar Pro: A one-time purchase unlocks rectangular Lock Screen widgets and medium-size Home Screen widgets — forever. Start a more beautiful calendar experience with CompactCalendar!

Screenshots

Pulse Calendar4 screens
CompactCalendar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pulse Calendar at 4.1 against CompactCalendar's 1.0. Pulse Calendar also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 38%) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pulse Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and CompactCalendar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pulse Calendar holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pulse Calendar has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Pulse Calendar's written reviews are positive against 38% of CompactCalendar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulse Calendar ships an update every 4 days, CompactCalendar weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pulse Calendar versus CompactCalendar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulse CalendarCompactCalendar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (8 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better37.5% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPulse (app)Sunghyun Kim

Customer experience

Pulse Calendar

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

CompactCalendar

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative37.5%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pulse Calendar

Subscriptions2
  • Pulse Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Pulse Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pulse Pro Lifetime$39.99
1 purchases

CompactCalendar

One-time1
  • CompactCalendar Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Pulse Calendar free?
Pulse Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CompactCalendar free?
CompactCalendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pulse Calendar or CompactCalendar?
Pulse Calendar is rated higher. Pulse Calendar averages 4.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while CompactCalendar averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pulse Calendar or CompactCalendar have ads?
Neither Pulse Calendar nor CompactCalendar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse Calendar or CompactCalendar?
Pulse Calendar ships an update every 4 days, and CompactCalendar weekly. Most recently, Pulse Calendar was updated on October 25, 2026 and CompactCalendar on October 31, 2026.

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